Currently, I am interested in pursuing a double major in International Business and Japanese Language/Culture. However, when looking through the opportunities at many of my desired colleges, I found that the overwhelming majority of them only offered minors in Japanese. Does anyone know good colleges that offer majors?
This is where a Google comes in handy – a simple search shows quite a few schools with a major in Japanese. I think the bigger issue will be combining it with a business degree, since many business school majors are impacted.
What are your stats, and what can you afford? Some universities offering both are quite selective - and expensive.
One surprising school: the University of Montana… offers both a Japanese major and an International Business major.
2 schools w particularly strong Japan ties:
Temple has a Tokyo campus.
Willamette is co-located with Tokyo Int’l University
Fwiw, I work with a translator/interpreter in Japan who had a major in East Asian Studies at Harvard. (He is white and had no personal origin ties to Japan other than always being interested in the cuiture.). He has his own business where he serves as an interpreter (in the broadest sense of the word - cultural, not just language) between Japan and American culture for multinational companies who do business in Japan. His command of Japanese - not just the language - but subtle nuances - is impeccable.
Denison has a Global Commerce major (and perhaps other Business majors) and very extensive Japanese offerings although apparently not a major or minor. You could see if they offer self designed majors, which many colleges do, another option to explore at any college.
Middlebury College I believe has a Japanese Major
Strong in all Languages. Has summer language school and students take language over their J term.
I believe there is a Japanese House as well and language tables in cafeteria where that language will only be spoken. Mandatory study abroad with language major
Indiana has Japanese and a great business school.
Your screen name is U of Michigan. Assuming you know that Michigan offers Japanese language/culture studies as well as other Asian languages. Have you checked it out?
If you can afford to pay the out of state tuition, look into the large public schools in the West Coast. For example, UC Berkeley, UCLA and the University of Washington all offer the Japanese language major under Asian Languages or Japanese. Private schools like Stanford, USC are less likely to offer Japanese.
Earlham College has lots of Japanese exchange students - students who come for just one year. That adds students to the Japanese courses, which is a plus. The down side is that some exchange students, generally speaking, stick with the group they are traveling with from their country of origin, and don’t interact much with the 4-year student body.
I did check U of M, but they offered minors in Japanese Language/Culture and Japanese Literature
Beloit & Colby
“Private schools like Stanford, USC are less likely to offer Japanese.”
Large, elite private schools like these generally DO offer Japanese. The two you named specifically are well-known for their outstanding Japanese programs. Those are exactly the kinds of schools the OP should be looking at.
Public flagships that are the academic peers of elite west-coast Us like Berkeley, UCLA, and U Washington (UNC, UVA, Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois, etc.) typically offer majors in Japanese no matter where in the country they are located.
Tufts has a strong languages/Japanese program. Six semesters of a language/culture are required of all Liberal Arts majors and eight semesters of a language/culture are required of all International Relations Majors (the second largest major after Computer Science.
International Relations is structured as a true interdisciplinary major with six major concentrations including one in International Economics that includes sub concentrations in International Trade, International Finance, International Environmental Economics, and International Development Economics.
Undergrads can sign up for a masters level course in International Business at the Fletcher School (which offers a masters in International Business) as well as a minor in Entrepreneurial Leadership sponsored by the Gordon Institute (which offers a masters in Engineering/Innovation Management),
Tufts has their own study abroad program with Kanazawa University in Japan which includes an academic advisor and personal tutor.
U Washington
Earlham